The Parliament of Catalonia
One of the oldest
parliaments in the world
The Catalan Parliament dates back to the 11th century, with the
assemblies of pau i treva (peace and truce) and the Cort comtal
(Court of counts) of Barcelona. Under the reign of James I the
Conqueror (1213-1276), and as a result of the number of members being increased, the Cort comtal became Corts Generals de
Catalunya (General Courts of Catalonia). However, the decisive
step towards consolidating this system of government was taken
by Peter II the Great (1276-1285) who, by means of the constitution known as Volem, estatuïm (Our wish, our law), established an
approved system of sovereignty characteristic of medieval and
modern Catalan constitutional law.
The Parliament represents the plurality of the
Catalan people and is
therefore key to its political life, holding debates
and taking decisions that
affect the everyday lives
of the people living in
Catalonia.
The Parliament is made
up of a single chamber
or house composed of
135 members chosen
democratically via proportional representation.
It is renewed every 4
years but the President
of the Generalitat can
dissolve the legislature
before the end of this
period and call new
elections.
During the reign of Peter III the Ceremonious (1336-1387) the Diputació del General was created, which gradually acquired autonomy and executive and governmental powers until, in
the 16th and 17th century, it acted as the government for the Principality of Catalonia.
Philip V, the first monarch of the Bourbon dynasty, respected the rights of the Catalan people by holding the Corts or parliamentary assemblies until the War of Succession broke
out (1702-1714), the result of a conflict of dynastic succession to the throne of Castile and
Catalonia-Aragon. Catalonia supported the Archduke Charles of Austria and recognised
him as king, but his defeat in the war led to Philip V abolishing all Catalan public rights
and Catalan institutions via the decree known as the Decret de Nova Planta (New Rule).
The Parliament
Two centuries later, the association known as the Mancomunitat de Catalunya
(Commonwealth of Catalonia) (1914-1925) made a first attempt at recuperating selfgovernment with Enric Prat de la Riba as its leader. But it was abolished after the
coup d’état by General Miguel Primo de Rivera and the implementation of a dictatorship.
When the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed (1931) a provisional Catalan
government was established that took the name of the Generalitat de Catalunya, in
memory of the old institution of self-government, the Diputació del General. Its institutions were recovered soon afterwards thanks to the Statute of Autonomy of 1932,
legitimising and providing a structure for self-government. This self-government
was institutionalised by means of a legislative body (the Parliament of Catalonia),
an executive body (the President of the Gene­ralitat and the Consell Executiu, or
Cabinet) and a limited judicial body (the Tribunal de Cassació, or Supreme Court of
Appeal).
The triumph of the revolt against the Spanish Republic and the consolidation of
General Franco’s dictatorship (1939-1975) once again entailed the abolition of Catalan political autonomy and its institutions. In the process of re-establishing democracy in Spain, a new constitution for the sta­te and a new statute for Catalonia were
approved, preceded by numerous civil demonstrations claiming freedom, amnesty
and a Statute of Autonomy, and the President of the Generalitat, Josep Tarradellas
building opens its doors to you
(1977), returned from exile, thereby recuperating the institutions of self-government. On the 20 th of March 1980 elections
were held to set up a new Parliament of Catalonia.
The Parliament is the
fundamental institution
of the Generalitat,
which is the institutional
­system that goes to
make up the political
structure of Catalonia’s
self-govern­ment.
The Parliament passes
laws and approves the
Generalitat’s budgets,
as well as promoting
and controlling government actions. It elects
the President of the
Generalitat and approves, guides and legitimises his or her programme. The President
of the Generalitat and
the Government are
politically responsible
before the Parliament.
The site of the Parliament:
a little history...
After the Catalan defeat on the 11th of September 1714, Philip V ordered the construction of a fort to control the city. Today three
of the original buildings remain from that military citadel, located
around the parade ground: the governor’s palace (today Verdaguer Secondary School), the chapel (today a military parish) and
the arsenal, designed by the military architect Próspero de Verboom, which has been the site of the Parliament since 1932.
In 1869 General Joan Prim donated the citadel to the city of Barcelona. Work immediately started on demolishing the walls and most
of the military buildings to make the Ciutadella Park, designed by
Josep Fontserè.
In 1889 the municipal architect Pere Falqués adapted the arsenal as
a royal palace to provide the king and queen of Spain with a residence in Barcelona, but it was never inhabited by them. Inspired
by the Paris Opera House, Falqués gave the building an eclectic
ornamental design that signalled the beginnings of Art Nouveau.
Many elements (shields, ironwork, mouldings, the sgraffiti on the
facade, etc.), as well as the peculiar layout of the rooms and some
of the areas still existing in the building (e.g. the main staircase and
the ballroom, today reconverted into the sala de passos perduts, or
hall of the lost steps) remind us of its original royal intentions.
In 1900 Barcelona City Council decided to use the building as the
Municipal Art Museum and it was extended with two wings on
either side to hold all the art collections.
In 1932 Barcelona City Council approved its use as the site for the Parliament. The decorator Santiago Marco was in charge of the adap­
tation work.
In 1939, with the defeat of the Second Spanish Republic, the building regained its original use as military barracks, but from 1945 onwards it once again held collections from the Museum of M
­ odern
Art and the Numismatic Office of Catalonia. It was therefore used
as a museum again.
In 1980 Barcelona City Council approved the partial assignment of the
building, which was restored and adapted to be ready for the start
of the first legislature of the newly re-established Catalan Parliament.
In 2004, finally, the building of the palace was returned completely to
the Parliament of Catalonia.
AULA
PA R L A M E N T
Aula Parlament is the platform for citizen participation with
all the educational and dissemination activities made available to citizens by the Parliament of Catalonia. We invite you
to take part in the workshops, seminars and other activities
for:
–– Schools
–– Universities
–– Teachers
–– Other groups
We also organize visits for:
–– Individual visitors
–– Schools
–– Universities
–– Other groups
For more information
Parc de la Ciutadella, s/n
08003 Barcelona
+34 933 046 500
www.parlament.cat
Sobrequés, J.; Vicens, F.; Pitarch, I. E. El Parlament de Catalunya.
Barcelona: 5th edition. Parliament of Catalonia, 2004.
Sureda, J. (ed.). El Palau del Parlament.
Barcelona: Parliament of Catalonia, 2005.
Photos by Pepe Navarro and Lluís Carbonell (cover page) · DL: B.8148-2015
You can check availability and reserve online at:
www.parlament.cat/aulaparlament.